Arabic version: المغرب يوقف مهاجرين قرب حدود سبتة

According to BBC News, Moroccan authorities intercepted dozens of migrants who were seeking to cross into the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta. Moroccan security sources cited by Spanish media and Reuters said more than 100 people were blocked as they tried to reach the border on the outskirts of Fnideq.

The sources said 111 people were detained in or around Fnideq, which is known in Spanish as Castillejos and lies about 3km from the border. Most of those detained were from sub-Saharan Africa. Moroccan police, including some officers in riot gear, reportedly used tear gas to disperse groups gathered on nearby hills.

Morocco said earlier in the week that it was monitoring social-media posts and messages of unknown origin calling for a mass crossing on Saturday. The government warned it would prosecute organisers and participants. Spanish newspaper El País reported that security at the breakwater entrance was 10 times stronger than the previous day, with Morocco deploying army officers, navy speedboats and drones to the border.

Madrid deployed more than 1,500 security officers to patrol the area. Spain has also installed a metal fence and a floating barrier following an influx a fortnight earlier, when roughly 78,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta by sea in a matter of hours. The city’s mayor said 100 people died and that the vast majority of arrivals had returned to Morocco.

The crisis has fuelled tensions among EU countries. Italy suspended the 29-member Schengen free-movement arrangement with Spain and introduced checks on arrivals from Spain, with Finland and Denmark backing the move. Spain said Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area and urged Italy to remove its controls. On Saturday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy had feared a new wave of arrivals in Ceuta and was carefully controlling arrivals.